Strep Throat and Colds
by Zohh
Summary: Ned and Moze discuss many things when they are home sick. [One Shot]


Don't ask me how I come up with so many ideas, because I don't even know! But, most of them are only one shots anyway. . . It may, however, have something to do with the fact that I right now have a cold, at the end of **SPRING!** Weird, isn't it?

* * *

Ned woke up to his alarm at 6:30 in the morning. He reluctantly turned off the alarm rather than hitting the snooze button for an extra 7 minutes of sleep. With out even opening his eyes, Ned knew that something was wrong. He got out of bed and immediately ran his hands over his neck.

"Eww!" He said hoarsely. His glands were swollen, and his mouth was exceptionally dry.

"Ned, are you awake yet?" His mother called for him.

Instead of yelling down to his mother that he had gotten up, Ned walked down stairs to find that she was eating breakfast.

"Mom, I don't think I can go to school today." Ned said, his straining his voice.

"What class do you have a test in today?" Mrs. Bigby asked, eyeing her son.

"No, really. Feel my glands," Ned gestured for his mother, wanting to give her proof that he really was sick.

Mrs. Bigby rolled her eyes, but went over to Ned, and found that he was telling the truth. "Hmm, I heard strep throat was going around, but it may just be a cold. However, I guess you can stay home today."

Ned sighed in relief, but knew that he would still have a lot of work to make up that next day or so. High school wasn't like Middle school. Teachers didn't care if you missed a day of class, they don't remind you to do your own work. It's your own fault if you fail.

"But I want you to make sure you get all of your missed work from school. In fact, why don't you call and ask Jennifer or Simon to get your work for you, that way you can do it tonight with out worrying tomorrow." Mrs. Bigby suggested, more like told him.

Ned only nodded, not wanting to hurt his throat as he walked back upstairs to call Moze. She was in all of his classes except English, so it would be easier for than Cookie to get his work.

"Hi, Moze, it's Ned."

"Oh, hey Ned." Moze sounded as if her nose was plugged up.

"Listen, I might have strep and can't come to school today, so I was wondering if you could get me my missed work."

"Sorry Ned, but I have a cold, and also will not be going to school." Moze finished her sentence with a sneeze.

"Aw, that stinks." Ned said hoarsely.

"Well so does you sore throat!" Moze laughed.

"I guess I'll se you tomorrow, if we both still aren't sick."

"Yeah, bye." Both Ned and Moze hung up the phone at the same time.

Ned went back down stairs to look for some throat lozenges, only to find the disgusting cherry kind.

"Sorry Ned, but your own your own today. But dad should be home early." Mrs. Bigby said.

"Don't worry, all I need is something to bring down the swelling." Ned reassured his mother.

She smiled, as she left hurriedly for work.

Ned popped one of the gross cherry lozenges in his mouth, and held back the gags as he looked for a box of tissues underneath the kitchen sink.

"Aha!" A new box of Puffs Plus, _a nose in need deserves Puffs indeed._

It was already 7:05, and Moze's parents were bound to have already left for work. Ned looked in the pantry, and found one last cup of instant soup, perfect for when you have a cold. He would surprise Moze with a box of tissues and soup, to help with her cold.

7:15, and Ned thought that it was safe for him to walk next door to Moze's house. He wanted to be a surprise, just something nice that a friend would do. Ned grabbed a handful of lozenges, only to see that they tasted bad because they were medicated, and left.

Quietly, so as to not be heard outside by Moze, Ned walked through their yard and used his very own key, because he and Moze were such good friends and the Moselys thought it would be a good idea if a neighbor also had a key, Ned opened the front door to Moze's house.

"Mom? Dad?" Moze peered over to see who was walking in.

"Ned!" Ned said cheerfully, running in to present the tissues and soup.

"Ned? What are you doing- cough- here?"

"I come baring tissues and soup! He said proudly, though his voice was still strained.

"Your voice doesn't sound too good." Moze said in concern.

"It hurts my throat if I talk to loudly." Ned explained.

Moze had a sudden coughing fit before saying, "Don't worry, I've got the hot water going. I'll make us some tea."

"We're such good providers of each other!"

"It would be much easier if our parents would stay home with us." Moze complained.

"I guess they just don't love us ay more. . ." Ned said, mockingly.

"Well I love you, because I'm standing here making your tea."

"Hey, I brought you tissues and soup!" Ned reminded her.

Moze rolled her eyes as she poured the hot water into two mugs. "Do your parents know that you're over here?"

"Uh. . . No." Ned said.

"Lovely. And when your mother calls to check on you and you don't answer the phone. . ." Moze's voice trailed off as she eyed Ned.

"My mom shouldn't care too much. I'm only at your house." Ned shrugged.

Moze laughed as she brought over the tea, putting extra honey in Ned's so he wouldn't complain about the taste. She put the two mugs on a set of coaster, so as to not leave a mark on the living room table, and sat down on the couch next to Ned.

He looked at her for a while, but quickly gave a word of thanks as he took a sip. Moze, however, continued staring until she came to her realization.

"_I'm on Benadryl and Sudafed, I must not be thinking clearly." _She said to herself as she left her trance of looking deeply into Ned.

"_I don't know what they put in those cherry lozenges, but I must not be thinking clearly."_ Ned told himself, as he took another sip of the hot tea.

The two sick friends continued watching the morning television, pretty much the _Today Show_, until the soap operas came on.

"Okay, we're not watching soap operas!" Ned protested.

"But I gotta watch my soaps!" Moze said.

"C'mon Moze, I've known almost all of my life. You don't really watch these."

"I know, but it's fun to make fun of them!" She laughed.

"Isn't it all just the same thing?" Ned asked. "Fall in love with your best friend who's evil twin is out to kill the other twin's best friend who's having their ex's child."

"Well, now you're just taking all of the fun away from it all." Moze mockingly pouted, causing Ned to roll his eyes.

"Ha, falling for your best friend who's evil twin is homicidal." Ned laughed.

"You know, I think that if you fell for your best friend, they would know before even you did." Moze said, thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Ned questioned, finishing off his now room temperature tea.

After blowing her nose Moze answered, "Well, your best friend would know you almost better than you know yourself. You and me for example. We know each other better than we know the alphabet. And, you usually don't know you like or maybe even love someone until after the fact. If you fell in love with your best friend, they would be the first to know."

"Wow, you're good at this. But tell me this, how do you find out if your best friend has fallen in love with you?"

Moze had now turned of the crappy soap opera, and focused even more on Ned. "That, I do not know."

Thoughts were now racing through Ned's mind. Maybe he could tell if Moze liked him. There were always those awkward times that really get you thinking about stuff like this, and Ned would like to know how to tell if she did like him that way.

It was quite funny, actually, because the two of them were having one of those moments right now, it was just fortunately unnoticed.

Moze, too, was thinking the same thing as Ned. It was especially weird when the two of them would have to fake go out because of Missy. Moze had grown so accustomed to pretending to be Ned's girl friend, that she was starting to enjoy it. Missy was always trying to find a away to break up Ned and Moze in order to have Ned to herself, but always seemed to fail miserably.

"There's no way the two of you can still be going out! We're in high school, and you've been dating since middle!" She would say every time Ned and Moze would do something to prove her wrong.

Unfortunately, during one of the times where Missy said, "You still can't be going out since 8th grade!" Faymen overheard and broke up with Moze.

Moze wasn't too upset, for she had Ned and occasionally Cookie to comfort her.

"Moze, do you like, and I mean _like_, me?" Ned asked calmly.

"What?!" Moze was taken aback by his sudden abruption.

"Well, you said you didn't know how to tell if your best friend has fallen for you, and I want to know." Ned said matter-of-factly.

"If you really want to know, then I suggest you watch a soap opera."

"It's much more fun if you just come out and ask." Ned said, as Moze threw a pillow at him.

"I can't answer that! I've been drugged up with _Benadryl_ and _Sudafed_."

"Well I've been eating really gross throat lozenges."

"That's not the point!" Moze said through a coughing fit.

"Yes, and the point is, do you like me?" Ned asked again.

"If I did, why would I tell you?" Moze questioned, calming down.

"Would you tell me if I had told you that I _liked_ you?" Ned said, putting a bit more emphases on 'like'.

"Probably." Moze answered, before sneezing.

"You know, I'm probably going to get even more sick from your germs." Ned pointed out.

"I'm most likely going to get strep throat from your germs."

"They probably don't care about germs on soap operas." Ned said, popping another lozenge into his mouth.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, my mom used to watch them, and the characters ever do is kiss and make out."

"_What is it with you today?" _Moze inquired.

"You're the one who got into 'your best friend knowing first if you've fallen for them'."

"You're the one that abruptly asked me if I _liked_ you!" Both Ned and Moze were now blushing feverishly.

"It's all of this medicine we've been taking." Ned said, more softly then he had already been talking because of his swollen glands.

"We must not be thinking clearly." Moze said, laughing quietly.

Ned and Moze, while they were already sitting next to each other, were a lot closer than before.

"It can make us do things that we would never intend on doing. . ." Ned's voice drifted off as he looked at Moze.

"And yet we still feel loads better than we did before. . ." Moze's own voice also drifting.

This was something to two friends did not plan on doing on their day home sick, which would probably turn into _days_ home sick, for their lips were barely a millimeter apart.

With Moze being the one who had actually liked her best friend for quite some time, she was the one who made the bold move in pulling Ned in for a kiss.

"Now I'm going to have your cold." He said with a smile.

"And I your strep throat." Moze chuckled.

"So Moze, let me ask again: How do you find out if your best friend has fallen for you?" Ned asked.

"You stay home sick with strep throat and a cold." Moze said, as she threw a piece of hard candy that had been in a glass bowl right next to them the whole time.

* * *

I absolutely detest mediated cherry flavored throat lozenges! That's why I always eat _Life Savors _and _Jolly Ranchers_, because they work the same but taste better. :-D 


End file.
